1803 1C Small Date, Large Fraction, BN MS(PCGS#1485)

August 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1046

等级

MS64BN

价格

166,729

详细说明

Handsome Mint State 1803 S-258 Cent The Halpern-Koshkarian-ESM Specimen Noyes Tied for CC#5 1803 Draped Bust Cent. S-258. Rarity-1. Small Date, Large Fraction. MS-64 BN (PCGS). CAC. Type: Draped Bust. Design: Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right with the word LIBERTY above and the date 1803 below. Liberty's hair is tied with a ribbon, the ends of which are plainly evident at the back of the head. Rev: A wreath surrounds the denomination ONE CENT, the base of the wreath bound by a ribbon tied into a bow. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is around the border and another expression of the denomination 1/100 is below. Weight Standard: 10.89 grams. Diameter: 29 mm. Die Variety: Sheldon-258, Breen-17. Obv: Small, Close Date with the digit 1 more distant from the drapery than on any other obverse of the date. The letter T is repunched along its left upright, the letters IB almost touch and ER are very close. This obverse die also appears in the S-257 pairing. Rev: Large Fraction, the bar short and extending from the right edge of the upright of the digit 1 in the denominator to the left side of the final 0. Always seen with a prominent diagonal die cut from the border at 9 o'clock, slanting down into the top curve of the letter D in UNITED. This reverse die was also used in the S-259 pairing. S-258 is one of several die marriages that correspond to the Small Date, Large Fraction Guide Bookvariety of the 1803 Draped Bust cent. The others are S-257, S-259, S-260 and S-261. Die State: Noyes C/C, Breen IV. Obv: Faint die crack extending left from the base of the digit 1 in the date, a second, more prominent cracks originates at the border below the 1, bisects that digit, and arcs through the lower hair curls and field below the ribbon before terminating at the border at 9 o'clock. Light clash marks are evident above the ribbon ends and in front of Liberty's neck. Rev: Faintly clashed around the fraction, more prominent clash marks from Liberty's hair are present around the letter C in CENT. Edge: Plain. Mintage: The mintage of 3,131,691 coins that the Guide Bookprovides for the 1803 Draped Bust cent corresponds to the Mint's deliveries for this denomination during calendar year 1803 -- 2,471,353 coins -- plus all but 96,500 of the 756,838 cents (660,338) delivered during calendar year 1804. While many 1803-dated cents were certainly struck during calendar year 1804 (and possibly as late as 1806), the mintage of this issue remains an estimate since we do not know exactly how many 1804-dated cents were struck, or even when all of those coins were produced (they may also have been delivered during calendar year 1805, possibly even 1806). Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-1: More than 1,500 coins in all grades. Strike: The Draped Bust design can be defined by the obverse of this coin, such is the exactness of strike to Liberty's portrait. All features are needle sharp except for a couple of hair strands behind Liberty's brow and at the lower left, all of which are still boldly to sharply defined. The date and LIBERTY are sharp, the denticulation uniformly bold around the border on that side. The reverse is only marginally less bold, the border also fully and universally denticulated, design elements sharp apart from softness to several of the leaves in the left wreath branch. Surfaces: Full mint frost and spectacular luster cascade across rich steel and tan-brown surfaces, with much faded mint color retained, especially on the reverse. Pinkish-rose color is seen around the peripheries, as are lilac-blue undertones that are more prominent on the reverse. The surfaces are smooth and beautifully preserved with no marks of note. There are a few faint carbon flecks in the field and along the border before Liberty's portrait. A superlative cent in every regard. Commentary: Sheldon-258 is one of the varieties of the 1803-dated cent issue that Breen believes may have been delivered during calendar year 1804. A popular die pairing for type purposes, not only are circulated examples plentiful, but enough Mint State coins are extant to suggest that a small hoard existed at one time. If so, the coins have long since been widely dispersed, for market appearances are usually few and far between, certainly not frequent enough to meet demand from high grade type collectors and advanced early copper enthusiasts. The ESM specimen is tied for CC#5 in the 2015 Noyes census with a grade of MS62(MS60) Average Plus. Unlisted in the truncated Bland census of 2000, which states: "Dozens survive in Mint State, a few of which can be called MS-63 but nothing better has been seen." This coin was an excellent choice to represent the 1803 Small Date, Large Fraction Guide Bookvariety in the ESM Collection, and will be perfect for another highly regarded cabinet. Provenance: From the ESM Collection. Earlier ex our (Stack's) sale of the Herman Halpern Collection of United States Large Cents, March 1988, lot 241; our (American Numismatic Rarities') sale of the Haig A. Koshkarian Collection, March 2004, lot 10. PCGS Population (all die marriages of the Small Date, Large Fraction variety): 4; 1 finer in this category (MS-65 BN finest). There is also an MS-67 RD listed at this service. PCGS# 1485. Click here for certification details from PCGS.